Buy or Sell: The media is overhyping Steelers rookie RB Kaleb Johnson.
Explanation: Rookie RB Kaleb Johnson is now the golden boy in Pittsburgh, Jaylen Warren suddenly being taken for granted. How many analysts and reporters by now have projected that Johnson will have more carries by October? Meanwhile, the Steelers are paying Warren over $5 million this year, when they likely could have paid him less.
Buy:
Nothing against Kaleb Johnson, but the absolute love fest has seemingly overshadowed Jaylen Warren and his role in the offense. Jaylen Warren is still the starter, and there’s nothing indicating he isn’t still the better runner. He is also certainly the more complete, better player, and will see more snaps in more roles.
The advantage that rookies have is that they haven’t proven that there is anything they can’t do yet. I’m not suggesting that Kaleb Johnson will be a disappointment, although with the level of hype he is getting, any realistic showing might disappoint some people. Odds are he won’t be fooling anyone into believing he is Saquon Barkley or Derrick Henry.
Sell:
It’s okay to hype someone up when it just makes that much sense. Kaleb Johnson is virtually an ideal running back for the Steelers in Arthur Smith’s offense. There’s a reason that they drafted him when they could have gone in other directions. They could have drafted Bhayshul Tuten, for example, or Cam Skattebo, or Trevor Etienne.
But the Steelers drafted Kaleb Johnson specifically because he is an easy projection. What they want him to do in their offense, they already saw him do in Iowa. He is also a big, durable back who can handle a bigger workload.
And ultimately, the “hype” that we’re talking about is merely comparative analysis. As much as Steelers fans might love Jaylen Warren, he is not an All-Pro running back. It’s not unreasonable to think Johnson, a third-round pick with prototypical running back traits, turns out better. Maybe it takes him longer than October to take over, but hype is only bad when it’s without merit.
The Steelers are building toward the 2025 season, following yet another disappointing year. While they reached the playoffs, they once again lost decisively in the first round. They are facing questions, both publicly, and perhaps privately as well. Questions about The Standard, and what the Steelers stand for.
The rookie class of a year ago was successful, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2025. And they need everyone healthy to do it, not an insignificant consideration. They needed a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2025 NFL draft yet again.
These sorts of uncertainties are what we will address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, we will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
